


Inside the House of Grant

by littlegaylauren



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Adam might show up, Carter-Centric, Eliza is the nicest mom ever, F/F, F/M, Mentions of Supercorp, Midvale, Other, kind of combined some things from all the Earths, supercat, supercat endgame?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-08
Updated: 2017-05-08
Packaged: 2018-10-29 09:47:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,558
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10851462
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/littlegaylauren/pseuds/littlegaylauren
Summary: On a trip back to America, the Grants stopped at each core CatCo building in the North East before intending to return home. Unfortunately in Opal City they ran into some unexpected disasters (not directly in Opal City of course, Cat Grant wanted to stay somewhere quieter, somewhere like Midvale). Now residing in Midvale, Carter Grant and his mother have rented some old couple's summer home whilst Cat Grant recovered. His neighbors consist of the O'Conners whose children have a rather rude and unsettling attitude, and Eliza Danvers, a friendly overbearing scientist.After a strange dream, he starts to dream about crazy things that happen to him at night. Are these dreams really dreams? Or is it something more?





	Inside the House of Grant

The house was old, sitting at the edge of a bluff which overlooked the skyline to Metropolis. Honestly, it was a nice view, every once in a while you could squint and see a streak of light fly across the sky, _Superman_ saving the day _yet again_. It was an updated house on the outside, a nice shade of peach on the outside with white-gray trimming along door and window frames. It was three stories, holding six bedrooms and five and a half bathrooms (Carter agreed it was too much for only two people to be renting out the house, but his mother wanted the best, and so that's what she got). It was easily the most high-priced building in the area, that was until you got to Metropolis and the common apartment's rent was way too much money than it should ever be. 

It was funny, they almost didn't rent the house because Cat Grant would had much rather of been in Metropolis or Opal City, where her company buildings were housed. But one night she had looked on Carter's computer (they had similar looking lap-tops and she 'accidentally' looked at his browser history) and once she noticed that he had searched how many people were in each city, she decided it would be best to keep her shy boy in the quiet. She figured Carter deserved a break from others, after all, she would do anything for him. While he had been fine abroad, every time they met a large group of people he would clutch her hand like he would when he was five. Sometimes it would even get so bad he would just stop walking, and would not move. She would drag him into a secluded area and let him digest his surroundings (while Cat was also internally freaking out). 

The front of the house was beautiful, equipped with a pool, a Jacuzzi, and a standard observatory on the roof, it was absolutely breathtaking. However, the inside had almost made Cat cry. It was all old and dusty beach furniture, the old owners must have had a fascination with the color blue because it was everywhere. Carter's mother almost hadn't rented out the house until she forced the owners to let her redecorate almost every room. Carter supposed that that's what her calling was these days, fixing things instead of reporting them. She was always impatient with journalism's pace, waiting for the right story that would grab people's attention instead of focusing on larger issue. 

They were only supposed to be in Midvale for two weeks, that's what his mother had told him. One week in Metropolis and the other in Opal City, and then they could return home. Unfortunately that did not go as planned. Cat Grant liked to call herself fit, that she was athletic and slim, not frail and old by any means. Her 45 year old self looked good, better than good actually, she looked _fantastic_. However, in her times of weakness, she would admit that she was an older woman and couldn't always keep up with people half her age. That's why when she got pushed by some mugger while walking to her drivers' car, it was perfectly acceptable for her to tear her ACL. However, Cat Grant getting saved by Superman himself did have a perk. 

The man, bumbling and brave (much like another girl she knows), knocked out her attacker with a simple flick to the forehead and retrieved her belongings. Honestly it was such a quick rescue that the middle-aged woman had to wonder if he was following her, and when she instigated he blushed and shook his head stating he 'just happened to be in the area'; _yeah right._ He flew her to the nearest hospital where she learned the worst news of her life- apart from Lois Lane's Pulitzer win. 

\-----

"FOUR MONTHS?" Cat Grant's outraged shriek sounded throughout the hallway, Carter was sat uncomfortably in the hallway, random nurses glancing his way every few seconds before going back to their whispering. "At least," the doctor replied calmly, "even then, you won't be able to walk properly without physical therapy and crutches. Unless you want to make it worse of course," he explained. There was an closing of the door, turning Cat's yells into hushed whispers. A blue figure exited the door, instantly catching the young fanboy's attention.

"S-Superman!" he perked up, a look of awe reaching his face. The superhero turned confusedly as if he didn't expect anyone to notice him, but once he noticed Carter that pure Superman smolder that would melt the hearts of the hero's fans met his face. The god-like entity crouched down next to the boy, raising a hand to ruffle his hair. "Carter, right?"

Astonished that SUPERMAN of all people would know HIS name, he weakly nodded, suddenly feeling light headed from the shock. "My cousin's told me all about you 'the boy who helped save the train, you were really brave y'know," he winked, getting to his standing position once more once he realized that the young boy was incapable of any words for the moment. "Your mother's going to be just fine, believe me, she's a tough one." He chuckled lightly. "Anyway, I need to get out of here, I have a big dat- ahhh.. I have a big mission! Yeah! A mission! I'll see you later Carter." He fumbled over his words, the one and only Superman, nervous. There was a push of wind and the superhero was gone. 

Carter was still in shock

\-----

"Carter? Could you get the door?" Cat's voice drifted down the hallway from where she sat on the phone speaking to James Olsen.

Almost as soon as Cat Grant renewed the lease for their elongated stay, there was a knock at the door. His mother, obviously not being able to walk, had requested that he open the door to greet their visitor. The boy paused his video game with a sigh, rubbing his eye as he made his way to the door. He opened the door without a second thought, however as soon as he did he regretted it. It was a middle aged woman, blonde hair-blue eyed ray of sunshine who once he'd seen her (having taken to his mother's personality slowly but surely) he had to suppress the cringe that came from her cardigan-almost familiar- disaster of an outfit. 

"Hello there, young man!" She chirped blissfully, thrusting a gift-basket into his arms and using a hand to pinch his cheeks roughly. "I'm your neighbor, I live just down the street actually, in that yellow house over there. My friend told me what had happened to your mom. Actually, I saw the for rent sign taken down and then I was told.. yeah." Her eyes met Carter's for the first time and there was something about her that just made the boy feel safer. He tried to hide his smile while putting down the basket, suddenly unsure of how to respond. 

There was a long pregnant pause, but luckily the woman didn't seem to mind. In fact her grin just continued to grow as his shyness multiplied. "Do you- do you have any kids?" he suddenly blurted out, seeming to be just as amazed that he had even asked as she was that he had actually spoken. She hummed, nodding, "Yes, I have two daughters. Kara is the youngest, Alex is my oldest, but they're both grown now," she replied. The names didn't seem to connect with Carter, the words just flowing past him,  _'Guess I won't be making friends while I'm here'_ he thought to himself gloomily. He was about to frown when Eliza spoke up again, "But there are kids on this street. The O'Conner's live there, they have two children, Franky and Sammy. Though, they're both little rascals. The Pink's have a child too, but she's very young," she informed him quickly. 

A series of loud thumps echoed down the hallway, getting closer and closer. Cat Grant emerged in the doorway, hovering behind her son warily. Her leg was in it's cast, her arms clutched helplessly around her crutches. She was in pain but she seemed to be hiding it. Carter glared at his mother, "Mom! Dr. Gallie said you aren't supposed to be up at all for another four days," he whined towards her but the woman just hushed her son. "Carter who is this?" She asked instead of replying. 

Eliza smiled and picked up the conversation for Carter. "Oh, Ms. Grant! My name is Eliza, Eliza Danvers. I'm your neighbor." She held out her hand for a handshake. Cat Grant paused, her face paling and features falling. "Danvers as in... Kara Danvers?" There was a pause and an attempt at a response before the Queen of All Media started cackling at the irony, free chuckles that seemed to just flow out of her in volumes. She gripped the door and slammed it in Eliza's face, limping away with a pleased look on her face.

\-----

Carter chose to believe that Cat Grant still cared about her once assistant. This assumption was made from several facts. One, he'd caught her one or twice with her phone out with Kara's name selected, finger hovering over the call button; Two, whenever she was caught up in work- keep it in mind that she did still run an empire- she would accidentally call out a high-pitched "Kiera!" whenever she needed something and forgot she was in a hotel room instead of her office; the third reason was a little hard to follow, as Carter tried to help his mom up the stairs into her room. He'd asked her why she'd slammed the door on Eliza Danvers' face, and Cat looked like he had slapped her.

She turned to him then, eyes shifting towards the side as if she were trying to figure out what to say. "God obviously is trying to get back at me, I did what I had to do to get myself out of CatCo.. but I didn't really leave fairly. I left Kiera in a tough spot with no support- and I acknowledge this because I remember how it was when I first started out.. I wanted to turn her into me but now the universe apparently hates me because fate has it that I just can't seem to get rid of the Danvers' Clan, now can I?" her explanation was short and snippy, but Carter could tell she didn't really mean it. Even if she believed she did. He helped her into bed and instead of questioning her more he just switched topics, telling her about anything and everything to get her mind off of the Danvers' situation. 

When his mother's feelings were repressed, sometimes it was easier to be around her. A sad or angry Cat Grant was not a friendly sight to see, or to hear. 

\-----

His second encounter with Eliza happened two days later when he'd finished all of his summer homework and was officially bored.

"Mom?" He knocked lightly on her door before entering. She was on her laptop, typing away and muttering about how idiotic some employee was being, her eyes fled from the screen for a moment before returning right back to the task at hand. "Oh, Carter. What's wrong?" She asked, clearly only half-listening due to the airy tone in her voice. Her eyebrows were furrowed and for a moment Carter regretted that they'd ever returned to the states, he didn't like the stressed look on his mother's face.

He shrugged, "I'm bored." he stated simply. "Finish your homework or.. read a book, watch T.V," she suggested, moving to look at some papers beside her on the bed, tutting at the information. "But I've already done all of that." he complained, accidentally letting a whine hit his voice. She paused momentarily, suddenly looking at him clearly, "Carter. Close your eyes and take a deep breath. Breathe. Then tell me what you want.. don't whine or complain, I've raised you better," she advised, voice firm as if testing him to try her. 

The boy, ultimately a pacifist, did as his mother instructed. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He waited for a few seconds before exhaling, honestly, he did feel a little better. He opened his eyes, "I think.. I think I want suggestions.. of what to do." he explained slowly, his green-blue eyes meeting his mother's. She seemed much kinder now, almost impressed if anything.

"Well," she began, "You've been cooped up in this house for the past three weeks! Besides the hospital you haven't left this house once. I propose.. that you go on an expedition." Her eyes sparkled, as if she were attempting to pass her torch of creativity onto him. She leaned over the other side of the bed, careful not to disturb her elevated leg. She picked a faded blue leather-bound journal out of her bag, followed by a pencil. "I was meaning to give you this in a month when we went to Panama for your grandmother's 70th, but I think this would better to give to you now." 

He approached the bed slowly, taking the journal from her hands. He ran his hands over the cover, flipping through the pages slowly. "How do I.. what do you want me to do with it?" He asked tentatively, shyly meeting her gaze. She smiled, "Whatever you want. Write me a story.. go find me something spectacular," she charged. He looked down at the book once more, "How do I start?"

\-----

He left the house that afternoon after having dressed himself for the occasion. Pale white button down with his brown trousers fastened by a large brown belt. His boots were a dark brown leather, stopping at his ankles. He called it his 'Expedition Outfit', because that was what he intended to find. His mother wanted something riveting, interesting, juicy, and he intended to find it. He looped his satchel around his neck, placing the journal and pencil inside (along with a pencil sharpener and a few snacks for the journey). 

He made his way down the street, having found his next calling as a young boy. He made it as far as the back of the Danvers' residence before he was stopped, Eliza was hunched over in her garden, plucking weeds diligently. "Carter!" She waved him over. A large mastiff barked from the back porch, to which the woman turned and told the dog named "Beast" to hush, and that it wasn't nice to bark at friends. The dog whined in response but returned to it's bed upon the porch. 

He smiled at the woman, but didn't speak, his words seeming to be as shy as he was for they wouldn't escape his mouth. He waved as he crossed over towards her, crouching down beside her. "I'm just weeding my garden, my strawberries are here- those were Kara's absolute favorite, basil next to it, tomatoes are there, and the cabbage is in the corner," she motioned to each plant. "Do you like to garden Carter?" 

The boy nodded, adding a hum in acceptance. "Well then you can help me water them, not too much alright? It hasn't been as dry of a season as normal," she told him, handing him the watering can and going back to her weeding. The boy used the water pump to fill up the can before setting to work. In thirty minutes he had finished, Eliza had chatted away and Carter had begun to open up to his new neighbor gently, offering yes and no's to her questions. 

He wiped his hands off on his pants and set off to leave, but not before Ms. Danvers had kissed him on the cheek and handed him a bowl of fresh-picked strawberries. "You know Carter, there's an old well further down the path that leads into the valley.. and a little bit past that is the beach. Maybe you could write about that in your expedition journal," she winked before returning to her garden.

Down the said dirt path, whilst eating the strawberries, he wrote in his journal:

_Eliza Danvers, mother to Kara and Alex Danvers_

_\- Is a scientist_

_\- Likes to Garden_

_\- Nice_

He ran the information through his brain two more times before deciding that it was all he really knew about the woman. Knowing she was a Danvers though, he knew that would change eventually. If his mother had to be cursed then so be it he was too. He placed the journal back into his satchel and continued on his way. When he found the well, he was immediately intrigued. He'd spotted the well in an overgrown meadow beside the path, behind a clump of trees—a low brick circle almost hidden in the high grass. The well had been covered up by wooden boards, to stop anyone from falling in. There was a small knothole in one of the boards, and Carter spent an eternity dropping small pebbles through the small hole and listening for the _plop!_ noise when it hit water, but it never came. 

He listened a splash, but when he looked down the well, all he could see was darkness! He started to remove the cover, fingers gripping the sides of the boards. "I wouldn't do that if I were you," a voice warned, startling Carter as he whipped around to see two figures suddenly behind him. It was a boy and a girl, the boy was short and stocky, he looked to be about Carter's age. His long curly hair was dark and his face was long and hollow, the shadows lingered in corners and edges where his sharp bones protruded from his face. He looked like a phantom to Carter. 

The girl on the other hand looked much younger than either of them, seven or eight at most, her long white-blonde hair reached her mid-back and it was crazed and wild like a mane. She had striking blue eyes and a face that much resembled that of her counter-part's. The only difference was the deep purple mark surrounding her eye, a black eye. 

Carter had yet to speak up, but unlike Eliza Danvers, this girl wasn't as patient. "What are you? Mute? Deaf? Daddy's got a mistress who's blind." She asked, adding a tidbit that Carter wasn't sure he was supposed to register or take as a joke. "I.. I uhh.." he tried to speak, but new people rarely ever could get the nervous young man to talk. This time the boy spoke up, "Sammy, can't you see you're scarin' him? I'm real sorry by the way, for scaring you. Glad to see you out of the house though, Sammy and I thought you'd never come out.." he extended his hand for a handshake, "I'm Franky by the way, and that's my sister Sammy," he motioned to the girl with sour look on her face, Carter thought she looked like some sort of imp. 

Carter reluctantly raised his hand to meet the boy's, shaking limply, "I'm Ca-Carter," he stuttered out, eyes not quite meeting Franky's. However Franky's eyes lit up like a Christmas tree, as he slung his arm around the boy tightly. "Well Ca-Carter, welcome to the neighborhood." He said, nudging Carter in the ribs lightly. "Carter..? I think we should call him Carry or Cart. Something much cooler than Ca-Carter," Sammy piped up from behind them. Franky made a grunt in agreement, "Well, I guess so. From this moment on, you will be known as Cart. Who's that up in the sky? Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's Cart!" He extended his free arm towards the sky as if to emphasize the meaning of his words. 

"So tell me Cart, why are you so interested in this here well?" Sammy asked, moving into their line of view. "Don't chu know it's haunted? There's a witch in there!"

"A wha-" he began before being cut off again- "A witch of course! A sorceress! She preys on the young and the elderly, whoever opens that well- BAM! They're trapped forever in the well. Gone! Zap! Bye-Bye!" She rattled on in a high-pitched taunting matter. Carter, about to excuse himself, tried to move from Franky's grasp but the boy just made his grip tighter, "Don't listen to her man, honestly. The well was filled with bricks years ago. It's all empty now. See?" He finally removed his hold on Carter, peeling back the paneling with little effort. 

True to his word, the well was filled to the brim with bricks and concrete. Why would someone ever do that? Carter opened his mouth to speak, but before he could a soft ringing noise could be heard in the distance. The siblings turned to each other knowingly, "That's papa, we gotta go Carty, sorry," Sammy apologized, tugging on Franky's sleeve. The sibling nodded, "It's been nice to meet you Cart- I hope we be seeing more of you." He raised his hand in a lone wave before allowing himself to be dragged off by his sister.

 _What strange people_ , Carter thought to himself, shaking his head. Not knowing that he was about to have the greatest expedition of a lifetime, and it was all under his fingertips.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! This idea popped into my head not too long ago after watching Coraline for the billionth time.  
> If you could leave a comment below that'd be spectacular! 
> 
> Disclaimer: I am taking and leaving some things from the series, because honestly I am not so up to date on Season 2.  
> I have also more or less combined things from the different Earths, but these things I am adding do not necessarily change anything from the original Supergirl storyline.


End file.
